Tribunal: Prosecutors respond to court critics

Tribunal
The Khmer Rouge tribunal’s co-prosecutors were quick to respond to stinging criticisms of the tribunal last week by reaffirming on Friday their commitment to independence, integrity and impartiality.

“Today our office, with the full support of its staff, Cambodian and international, reaffirms its commitment to perform its functions according to the dictates of conscience and probity, and to uphold the rule of law,” they said in a carefully worded statement.

The statement followed a call from Human Rights Watch last week for co-investigating Judges Siegfried Blunk and You Bunleng to resign over alleged judicial misconduct. While Human Rights Watch focused its criticism on Blunk and You Bunleng, it also made scathing remarks about other UN officials and alleged UN mismanagement of the tribunal.

In response to the rebuke, Cayley praised the dedication and decency of tribunal staff and officials. He also told the Post: “We should look at the work of the court as a whole, and the work of the court is not yet completed.”

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